Sung in Italian with German surtitles
Duration c. 3hrs. 30 mins. with one interval

A mad day in Count Almaviva’s castle: preparations for Figaro and Susanna’s wedding begin in the morning but a faked letter, people pretending they are going away, forcing doors open, jumping out of windows and dressing up as one another that mean that the pair have to wait until the next break of dawn before they are united. The count, thinking he is about to, at long last, enjoy a bit of hanky-panky with Susanna, finds himself back in the arms of none other than his wife. The rest of the day is filled with desperate attempts to prevent the wedding taking place and equally determined efforts to ensure that it does. The opera was based on Beaumarchais' sociocritical comedy – aimed to show up the "Vice, abuse and capriciousness carried out under the masks of the ruling classes". Whilst adapting this »delicate« subject, which turned out to be one of the harbingers of the French revolution, Mozart and Lorenzo Da Ponte managed to communicate the swings between serious and amusing scenes. Fine portraits of characters come to life and there is real situation comedy during the intrigue filled story. It was the refreshing liberality of the figures as well as politically explosive texts that lent the French original a scandalous aura. The real fun in Mozart’s comedy comes from the impudence of the retainers and their lack of respect for their masters. Despite all the turmoil during a completely crazy day everything turns out all right in the end.